Is this your child's symptom?

If not, try one of these:

Causes For Drinking Less Fluid Than Normal

Sore Throat. A sore throat is the most common cause. The pain is made worse by swallowing. Most sore throats are caused by a virus. Strep bacteria cause 20% of sore throats with fever.

Mouth Ulcers. Mouth ulcers are another common cause of a painful mouth. The pain is made worse by swallowing. Most mouth ulcers are caused by a virus such as Coxsackie virus.

Nausea. Nausea means a sick stomach feeling and loss of appetite. Also called an upset stomach, but without vomiting. Usually from a viral infection of the stomach or liver.

Blocked Nose. A common cause in bottle or breastfed infant. Reason: If nose is clogged, the baby can't breathe while sucking.

Trouble Breathing Serious. Shortness of breath from any lung disease can reduce fluid intake. Examples are pneumonia, wheezing or severe croup. Reason: The baby quickly gets tired from sucking and breathing at the same time.

Foreign Body Object in the Esophagus Serious. The esophagus is the tube from the mouth to the stomach. A swallowed foreign object can become stuck here. Examples are coins or small toy parts. The main symptoms are gagging, refusal of fluids or drooling. The peak age is 1 to 3 years.

Abscess of Tonsil Serious. A bacterial infection of the tonsil can spread to the surrounding tissues. The main symptoms are severe trouble swallowing, fever and one-sided throat pain. It's also hard to fully open the mouth. The peak age is teens.

Complication

Dehydration. This is the health problem where the body has lost too much fluid.

Call 911 Now (Your Child May Need an Ambulance) If

Not moving or very weak

You think your child has a life-threatening emergency

Call Doctor Now or Go to ER

Too weak to suck or drink

Signs of dehydration, such as:

Has not passed urine in more than 8 hours

Crying does not cause tears

Very dry mouth

Sunken soft spot

Sleepy child

Will not drink or drinks very little for more than 8 hours

Will not drink and new onset of drooling

Trouble breathing

Your child looks or acts very sick

You think your child needs to be seen, and the problem is urgent

Call Doctor Within 24 Hours

Poor drinking and also has fever

Poor drinking lasts more than 3 days

You think your child needs to be seen, but the problem is not urgent

Call Doctor During Office Hours

You have other questions or concerns

Self Care at Home

Drinking adequate amount of fluids and no signs of dehydration

Care Advice for Decreased Fluid Intake

What You Should Know About A Decreased Fluid Intake:

Eating less solids during an illness is normal.

Drinking less fluids is not.

So far, your child does not have any signs of dehydration.

Here are some tips to help increase fluid intake.

Fluids - Offer More:

Give your child lots of their favorite liquid.

Use fluids like chocolate milk, fruit drinks, water or even soft drinks. The type doesn't matter. The type only matters if your child has diarrhea or starts throwing up.

Solid Foods - Less Important:

Don't worry about solid food intake.

It's normal not to feel hungry or want to eat when sick.

Preventing dehydration is the only thing that is important.

Sore Mouth Treatment:

If the mouth is sore, give cold drinks.

Do not use citrus juices.

For babies, offer fluids in a cup, spoon or syringe rather than a bottle. Reason: The nipple may increase pain.

To help with the pain, give an acetaminophen product such as Tylenol. Another choice is an ibuprofen product such as Advil. Use as needed.

Liquid Antacid for Mouth Pain Age 1 Year and Older:

For mouth pain, use a liquid antacid such as Mylanta or the store brand. Give 4 times per day as needed. After meals often is a good time.

Age 1 to 6 years. Put a few drops in the mouth. Can also put it on with a cotton swab.

Age over 6 years. Use 1 teaspoon 5 ml as a mouth wash. Keep it on the ulcers as long as possible. Then can spit it out or swallow it.

Caution: Do not use regular mouth washes, because they sting.

Nasal Washes To Open a Blocked Nose:

Use saline nose spray such as store brand to loosen up the dried mucus. If you don't have saline, you can use a few drops of tap water. If under 1 year old, use distilled water or boiled tap water.

Step 1. Put 3 drops in each nostril. If under 1 year old, use 1 drop.

Step 2. Blow or suction each nostril out while closing off the other nostril. Then, do the other side.

Step 3. Repeat nose drops and blowing or suctioning until the discharge is clear.

How Often. Do nasal washes when your child can't breathe through the nose.

Limit. If under 1 year old, no more than 4 times per day or before every feeding.
o Saline nose drops or spray can be bought in any drugstore. No prescription is needed.

Saline nose drops can also be made at home. Use ½ teaspoon 2 ml of table salt. Stir the salt into 1 cup 8 ounces or 240 ml of warm water. Use bottled water or boiled water to make saline nose drops.

Other option: use a warm shower to loosen mucus. Breathe in the moist air, then blow each nostril.

For young children, can also use a wet cotton swab to remove sticky mucus.

For Shortness of Breath - Give Smaller Feedings:

For trouble breathing, feed more often. Feed every ½ hour.

Offer smaller amounts per feeding.

Reason: This allows your baby to rest in between feedings.

Call Your Doctor If:

Trouble swallowing gets worse

Signs of dehydration occur

Poor drinking lasts more than 3 days

You think your child needs to be seen

Your child becomes worse

And remember, contact your doctor if your child develops any of the 'Call Your Doctor' symptoms.

Disclaimer: This information is not intended be a substitute for professional medical advice. It is provided for educational purposes only. You assume full responsibility for how you choose to use this information.

Copyright 1994-2015 Barton D. Schmitt, MD. All rights reserved.

Should your child see a doctor?

Find out by selecting your child’s symptom or health condition in the list below:

Seattle Children’s provides healthcare without regard to race, color, religion (creed), sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin (ancestry) or disability. Financial assistance for medically necessary services is based on family income and hospital resources and is provided to children under age 21 whose primary residence is in Washington, Alaska, Montana or Idaho.